Water-actuated gas or other fluid



Deg. 24, 1940- J. E. NEALE ET AL 2,225,882

WATER ACTUATED GAS OR OTHER FLUIDCONTROLLING VALVE OR ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Feb. 10, 1959 ;"IIl!'l/III I ynmmxm l f] f6 7 Y r I V i! 3&1

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1i? 2%.; 7 1 p74? "f 2o Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED stares WATER-ACTUATED oAs on OTHER FLUID- CONTROLLING. VALVE on ELECTRIC SWITCH John Ernest Neale and Albert Guest, Coventry, England Application February 10, 1939, Serial No. 255,734 In Great Britain July 5, 1938 3 Claims.

This invention relates to water-actuated gas valves or electric switches for a geyser or other water heater, of the kind in which the control means includes a plunger axially movable against gravity or a spring bias by the water flow and connected to actuate the gas valve or electric switch.

Our main object is to provide an improved water-actuated control means of this kind, and parm ticularly one which will be reliable in operation and can be inexpensively produced.

According to the invention, the plunger has a hollow portion encircling a water inlet portion with clearance and disposed with clearance in the external casing of the water passage, whereby the incoming water is caused to flow along the water inlet portion in one direction, then in the reverse direction between the hollow portion of the plunger and the water inlet portion, and then in the original direction between the hollow portion and the external casing of the water passage. In this way a predetermined Water flow will maintain the plunger in a predetermined position in a very satisfactory manner.

Actually, the clearance between the hollow portion of the plunger and the water inlet portion may be provided by longitudinal grooves in the internal surface of the hollow portion or, preferably, in the external surface of the water inlet portion. An equivalent kind of clearance may be provided between the hollow portion of the plunger and the external casing of the water passage.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a part-sectional elevation of one form of automatic gas geyser valve according to the invention, the section being mainly on the lines 1-1 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the wateractuated control means, the parts being shown separated.

In the drawing, represents the water inlet, l2 the water outlet, I3 the gas inlet, and M the gas outlet, the gas passages being kept, it will be observed, entirely distinct from the water passages. I5 is a water passage for conveying the water when it has been heated by the geyser (not shown). The three passages, which are united to one another by webs l6, l6, are formed as a unitary casting.

The water inlet includes a tubular portion |l detachably supported in the external casing l8 of the water passage. For this purpose the tubu- (C1. EEG-) lar portion has a frusto-conical surface H! which makes joint with a coacting surface in the external casing l8 when the parts are properly fitted together and retained in position by the nut 20. The tubular portion H is loosely encircled by a hollow portion 2| of a plunger 22, 5 the hollow portion being mounted with clearance in the external casing l8 of the water passage. The latter communicates at the end through which the plunger extends with the chamber 24. t

In the present instance the hollow portion 2| is a good sliding fit on the tubular portion ll, the necessary clearance for the water flow being provided by longitudinal grooves 25 in the outer surface of the tubular portion.

In the end wall 26 of the chamber 24 is a housing 21 in which is journalled a rotatable spindle 23. This has an end thrust joint at 29 with the housing 21, being spring-pressed axially to maintain this joint by the ball 30, plunger 3| and spring 32. The abutment 33 for the spring is adjustable. A crank arm 34 on the spindle 28 extends through a clearance slot 35 in the housing 21 to coact with the upper end of the plunger. It will be noted that, since Figure l is taken on the line of Figure 2, that part of the crank arm 34 which lies to the right of the line is shown in light lines. The crank arm 34 is located in front of the spindle 28 as is clear from an inspection of Figure 3.

Where the spindle extends from the housing there is mounted a packing 36 held in place by a gland nut 3'! which is here shown as being an internal one. The extending end of the spindle carries a crank arm 38 linked with the stem of a poppet valve 39 which is spring-pressed at 40 in the closing direction. A Washer 4| seals the opening around the valve stem when the valve is fully open. 42 is an opening for gas which is to travel along a bypass passage to a pilot jet in a manner well known in the art.

In practice, when a bath or other outlet tap connected 'to the pipe l5 to be supplied by the geyser with which this valve is associated is turned on, the water flow acting on the hollow portion 2| of the plunger raises it and turns the spindle 23 in a direction to lift the gas valve against the closing pressure of the spring 40, thus providing a supply of gas to the main burners of the geyser which can be immediately ignited by 59 means of the pilot flame fed by means of gas passing along the opening 42. The water, it will be observed, flows up the tubular portion l1, down the grooves 25 in its external surface, and then up between the hollow portion 2| of the 55 plunger and the external casing [8 of the water passage.

Closure of the tap aforesaid immediately allows the valve 39 to seat under the pressure of the closing spring, the weight of the plunger 22 assisting in this respect.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A water-actuated gas valve for a water heater including a plunger axially movable against a bias by the water flow, said plunger connected to actuate the gas valve, said plunger having a hollow portion, a water inlet portion mounted in the external casing of the water passage and having a length substantially equal to that of the hollow portion, the side walls of said water inlet portion being imperforate and having longitudinally extending grooves in the outer face thereof, the water inlet portion having a circumferentially extending groove in its outer face communicating with said longitudinally extending grooves, said hollow portion having a sliding fit with and slidably guided by the outer surface of the water inlet portion and being disposed with clearance in the external casing of the water passage.

2. A water-actuated gas valve for a water heater, including a plunger axially movable against gravity by the water flow, a rotatably mounted spindle, an arm on said spindle disposed to coact with said plunger, said spindle connected to actuate'the gas valve, means biasing said spindle in a direction in which said valve is closed, said plunger having a hollow portion, a water inlet portion encircled by said hollow portion and on which said hollow portion is axially slidable, the side walls of said water inlet portion being imperforate and having longitudinal flutes on its external surface at its outer end and a plain cylindrical bearing portion at its inner end, said water inlet having a peripheral groove between said flutes and bearing portion, and said hollow portion being disposed with clearance in the external casing of the water passage, whereby the incoming water is caused to flow along said water inlet portion in one direction, then in the reverse direction along said longitudinal flutes into said groove and then in the original direction between said hollow portion and the external casing of the water passage.

3. A water-actuated gas valve for a water heater, including a plunger axially movable against a bias by the water flow, said plunger connected to actuate the gas valve, said plunger having an upper closed portion and a lower hollow portion, a water inlet portion detachably mounted in the externalcasing of the water passage and having longitudinally extending flutes in its outer surface at its outer end a plain cylindrical bearing portion at its inner end and a peripheral groove between said flutes and bearing portion, said hollow portion having a sliding fit with and slidably guided by the Water inlet portion, said closed portion of the plunger being spaced clear of the inner end of the water inlet and the outer portion of the hollow portion covering the peripheral groove when the plunger is in its closed position, said hollow portion being disposed with clearance in the external casing of the water passage whereby the incoming water is caused to flow along said water inlet portion in one direction, then in the reverse direction between said hollow portion and said water inlet portion in the flutes of the water inlet into said groove, and then in the original direction between said hollow portion and the external casing of the water passage.

JOHN ERNEST NEALE. ALBERT GUEST. 

